



ni^ BANNER COUNl^ 

of^neJsOUTH: 




Qass ^J2^2 

Book feFi- 



irCiH^ix x^iHA^Titi^f ^ee^aca. 



A COMPILATION OF FACTS FOR THE INFORMATION OF HOME 

SEEKERS, BUSINESS MEN, AND THE 

WORLD AT LARGE. 



SETTING FORTH THE RESOURCES, ADVANTAGES, LOCATION, BUSINESS 
INTERESTS, AND UNEXCELLED FACILITIES. 



Published Under the Auspices of the Floyd County Industrial Association. 



FLETCHER SMITH, PRINTER, ROME, GA. 



llntio^uctov^. 



This work is published for the purpose of giving- to the world a truthful statement 
of facts relative to Floyd County, Georgia, which has, not inaptly, been styled the 
" Banner County of the South." The descriptive matter has been carefully prepared, 
and the information furnished is accurate. The illustrations are from photographs, and 
are faithful portrayals of natural and architectural scenes of this section. Any person 
desiring more full or detailed information can obtain the same by addressing the Secre- 
taiy of the Floyd County Industrial Association, Rome, Georgia. 



r- 






FLOYD COUNTY. 



IFts Soil an& DarietV! of proCtucts. 



There is perhaps no section of country where 
exists a greater varietj' of soil or a largei- range 
of products. 

Beginning with the alluvial soil of our three 
great river valleys, fertile with the debris of 
ages, and capable of producing the finest yields 
of corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, cow 
l^eas, clover, timothy, orchard grass, red top, and 
in fact all the most useful cereal and hay crops. 
Besides, the finest grade of upland cotton grown 
in America is produced on this soil and is known 
in Liverpool as the best of this variety. 



What has been said of our Etowah, Coosa and 
Oostanaula river lands is also true of our creek 
bottom or valley lands, and also of our higher or 
table lands adjacent to those spoken of above, 
with this exception: Our higher lands are some- 
what less fertile, but better adapted to the grow- 
ing of most fruits, such as pears, peaches, plums, 
quinces, cherries, etc., as well as all kinds of ber- 
ries, which require a soil rather l;ietter drained. 
Apples, however, flourish best on our lower lands, 
where large, magnificent old trees grow to per- 
fection. 

JVIuch of our higher mountain soil is very fer- 
tile, sometimes loamy and sometimes gravelly. 

These mountain tops and slopes are the true 
home of the vine. All varieties of the grape 



grown east of the Rockies flouiisli in great 
perfection and abnndant yield on these liigli- 
lands. Here, also, the peach finds conditions and 
soil best adapted to its perfect development. 

Upon these isothermal heights the stinging- 
frost is less apt to kill (lie buil or nip the bloom. 
Often, when the valleys have little or no frnit, 
the hills lear their heads toward the snii and 
smile in plenty before the season is done. 

Almost every vegetable is known to flourish 
here, and many excel in flavor and yield. In a 
word, this may be said to be 

The iliniate most congenial to niiui. 
Aliuiidinil (if liaivost, fruitful hxud. 
There erystal spiinf^.s from out the rock 
Gu.sh forth merrily for meadow and flock. 



(Ilimate aiiD IfDealtbtulncss. 



Climate is the most important condition in the 
environment of a people. It embraces in its scope 
health and comfort, spirits, brain force, muscular 
power and vigor; in a word, nearly all our en- 
joyments and our faculties. It affects profoundly 
our modes of living and our indoor and outdoor 
life, and comes home to us in a thousand ways. 
It is a controlling condition on all vegetation, on 
trees, grasses and natural products, and not less 
so on cultivated crops, vegetables and fruits. 
Equally so on animal life — on its vigor, its diet, 
its needs and its supply of all food. In no part 
of the world is it found more suitable to the 



genus homo than in this paradise of the Southern 
States of America. 

It has been said by a distinguished authority 
on cHmate that a mean annual temperature of 60 
degrees is the most conducive to comfort and 
health. With such a mean the summer extreme 
is not so great as to be relaxuig, nor is the winter 
temperature so low as to affect even those of 
feeble constitution. The mean annual temper- 
ature of Floyd county, Georgia, is (JO.6 de- 
grees, ranging from .59 to 02 The average for 
winter is 44 and summer 78 ; spring and fall 01. 
The range between maximum and minimum of 
the year is 81 degrees. At St. Paul it is 132, 
Denver 129, Cincinnati 118, Chicago 116. The 
daily range of temperature is in spring 18, in 



summer, autumn and winter 15, being less than 
at any of the places just named. 

The rains in this latitude are semi-tropical in 
character. Drizzling weatlier is of rare occur- 
rence. About two-thirds of the rainfall occurs 
between dusk of one day and 8 a. ji. of the fol- 
lowing morning, giving us a high average of 
cloudless days. Tlius, Rome, Georgia, compared 
with points in Minnesota and Dakota, noted for 
their cloudless skies, gets twice as much rainfall, 
but has a greater number of clear days. The 
yearly average of rainfall ranges from 42 to 58 
inches. This rainfall is well distributed through- 
out the twelve montlis, so that this section never 
suffers from drouth. There ai-e generally seven 
months between the last and first killing frosts 
of the year. 



It would be somewhat superfluous for us to 
say people enjoy excellent health here. We 
venture the assertion that in an assemblage of 
the people of this section you will see a greater 
proportion of broad-shouldered men and well- 
rounded women than you ever saw before. At 
all seasons of the year people can work out of 
doors, and it is rare that ladies are kept at home 
on account of the weather. Malaria is unknown 
here. It is a well-known fact that yellow fever 
and cholera patients have never been known to 
infect in this climate. The exemption of the 
inhabitants of this section from diseases of the 
respiratory organs is proverbial. This is the 
purest atmosphere recorded in the medical jour- 
nals of America. 



Allow us to quote the woi'ds of a physician of 
forty years' experience and world-wide reputa- 
tion : " The exemption from mortality which at- 
tends the surgical oj)erations, the wonderful free- 
dom from septic poison and the promptness and 
kindness attending the healing process are re- 
markable compared with the mortality attending 
amputations in other parts North,West and South, 
that is here nominal. The great discrepancy can 
not be accounted for but in the extreme purity of 
the atmosphere." 

The swift-flowing and numerous rivers drain 
the land, carrying off all organic growth that 
would engender fever. Mortuary statistics show 
that the mortality per thousand of tlie white 
population is only 8.4 per annum, which is as 



good a record as can be shown Ijy any section in 
the United States. 

No surer test of the healthfuhiess of any lo- 
cality can be found than that wliieh is afforded 
by the physical a[)pearance of its inhabitants, 
and especially the juvenile element. In tliis 
respect Floyd county challenges comparison. 



Surely nowhere else can one find a brighter gal- 
axy of beauty than in the cluster of infantile 
rosebuds given on the opposite page. Only a 
glance at the chubby features and contented ex- 
pressions of these dinipled dai'lings is needed to 
shiiw that good health reigns supreme with the 
pretty flock. 





SAMPLES OF FLOYD GOUNTY'S FINEST PRODUCTS. 



Zbc Cltijcnsbip ot tbe Countv. 



In point of an honest, law-abiding, God-serving 
citizenship, no community on the American con- 
tinent can boast a higher standard than Floyd 
county, Georgia. 

The population of the rural districts is made 
up of men and women the large majority of 
whom have felt the influences of education and 
refinement far above the average in similar con- 
ditions of society elsewhere. 

There never was a more unutterable fallacy 
than that which has so frequently been dissem- 
inated to our detriment abroad that our people 
are coarse, ignorant and uncouth, and that the 
lives and property of Northern people are unsafe 



among them. On the very contrary, they are a 
people who are honest, intelligent, generous and 
hospitable, and if they err at all it is generally 
on the other side, in allowing unprincipled people 
to take advantage of them because of their trust- 
fulness in their fellow-men. 

They are a chureh-g-oiug, school-supporting 
people, quiet and orderly, and the stranger who 
conies among them is always treated with the 
utmost kindness, consideration, respect and good- 
fellowship. A Northern man who has lived here 
five years, the only way you can distinguish him 
from a native, is that he is just a little more of 
an enthusiastic Georgian than those to the man- 
ner born. 

Nowhere in the Union does the spirit of pure 



Americanism prevail to the same extent that it 
does in tlie South, and in our own particular 
community it is prevalent to a degree that can 
not but be most attractive to all who understand 
and appreciate the beauty of our free institutions. 
Let those who doubt these statements inves- 
tigate for themselves. We are content to place 
our people beside any in the world for intelli- 
gence, sobriety, honesty and good citizenshii). 



flDtncrals. 



In addition to the many attractions Floyd 
county possesses, none commend it more highly 
than its varied and inexhaustible deposits of 
minerals. No less than sixteen to twenty varie- 



ties have been found. So far only a few have 
been utilized or the deposits properly prospected 
and opened up. 

The following ores have been found within the 
county limits : Brown and red iron ores, man- 
ganese, bauxite, marble (variegated and black), 
slate, limestone (extending fi'om Cave Spring en- 
tirely aci'oss the county), cement rock, litho- 
graphic stone, blown stone kaolin, ochre, brick 
clay, bituminous shale, extensive iron pyrites, 
gold, silver and lead. The deposits of the lirown 
iron ores begin in the southwestern portion of the 
county below Cave Spring and extend in a north- 
eastern direction across it. Parallel with these 
deposits lie the manganese, which at certain in- 
tervals comes in contact with the iron ores. Thou- 



10 



sands of tons of both iron and manganese ores 
have been mined and shipped. The analyses of 
these ores prove that there are none better. 

The deposits of marble, both variegated and 
black, have been prospected and tested, and 
proven to be inexhaustible. The marble takes a 
most beautiful polish, and is highly recommended 
for all ornamental and building purposes. 

The bauxite deposits have been opened, and 
thousands of tons shipped. These deposits bid 
fair to be the most important of all Floyd county 
minerals, and furnaces have already been erected 
for working tire ore. 

Several of the other minerals exist in great 
quantities, needing only skill and capital to de- 
velop them into paying industries. 



These mineral lands can be bought at this time 
at nominal figures, except where mines have been 
opened and ores shipped. 



iForestrg. 



Among the twenty-five to thirty varieties of 
woods grown in the county will be found almost 
every species known in the Southern States. 

The oaks and pines predominate in quantity, 
and are mostly used in buildings, furniture and 
manufacturing of farming utensils, wagons, etc. 
Large quantities of lumber of each of these val- 
uable woods are annually shipped. 

There are six varieties of oaks, viz. : Red, 
white, mountain or chestnut, black, water and 



11 



post oak, and two varieties of pine, the long and 
slioit leaf. 

Theve are thousands of acres yet of these val- 
uable timbers to lie found in the county, and 
which can be bought at reasonable prices. 

In addition to the oaks and pines, are found 
poplar, ash, beech, chestnut, hickory, elm, maple, 
walnut, iron wood, sugar beriy, sycamore, sweet 
gum, black gum, dog wood, persimmon, sassafras, 
willow, wild cherry, redbiid, warhoo and cedar. 
Many of these exist in large (piantities, and can 
be utilized in the manufacture of furniture and 
hard-wood finish for dwellings. 

Nearly all these varieties are easily dressed 
and take a most beautiful finish. 



Stoch IRatstno. 

Among- the conspicuous industries of this 
county is that of stock raising. To this profit- 
able business less attention has been paid than is 
warranted by inducements which the section 
offers to the intelligent stock grower. Cotton 
and other staples have attracted the attention of 
planters to the exclusion of the more profitable 
crops of the grasses. Near the city of Rome, 
one planter, a year or two since, cu one field of 
clover containing forty acres, and the plant was 
an average of three feet in height, and the field 
produced two hundred tons of ha', . This is an 
indication of what can be done along this line. 



12 



The early springs and late falls are great fac- 
tors in the production of cheap stock. The grass 
grows fresh and green until December, and early 
in March the tender hlades begin to offer tempt- 
ing food foi- the stock that have Vieen under shel- 
ter for the three winter months. 

The various native grasses here are numerous 
and exceedingly well adapted both to the pur- 
poses of grazing and of hay-making. Orchard 
grass may be grazed for eleven months of the 
year, and the clover crop may be cut three times 
annually. 



Bairinng. 



Geographically, Floyd county is unsurpassed 
as a dairy section. It is watered by three rivers 



that rise in the heart f)f the Blue Ridge and 
Alleghany ranges of mountains. Here are nu- 
mei-ous creeks and ever-flowing springs, that 
mark on the thermometer 58 to 6'2 degrees, 
witli a mean temperature of 0(1.4 degrees, any 
number of indigenous grasses, and lime enough 
in the soil to grow to perfection the cultivated 
grasses of the more northern States. 

There is an aroma in the butter made here 
that equals that of the celelirated Genesee Val- 
ley, of New York. The cheeses are equal to the 
best whole creams made at Elgin or elsewhere. 
The possibilities of successful dairying are com- 
mensurate with the amount of energy and enter- 
prise put forth in the business. 

As to soiling crops, rye and crimson clover 



13 



■<^ 



^- r^ '■ i^f 



GOOSA FARM HERD OFdERSEY CATTLE, G. AND P. NIXON. PROPRIETORS. ROME, GEORGIA. 



sown in September, oats in August, September 
and October, rye again in October and Novem- 
ber, will give a succession of cuttings from first 
of March until middle of May. Early in March 
corn can be planted, followed the middle of the 
month with amljer cane, succeeded by more corn 
and cow peas, golden-top sorghum, patches of 
orchard grass, meadow oats and red clover. This 
system, kejit up, will carry your herd from March 
to killing frost. For winter feeding, ensilage, 
aided by cotton-seed meal, wheat bran and corn 
meal, cows can be econominally fed. Our lands 
grow the following indigenous grasses, unsur- 
passed singly or combined : Bermuda, Johnson, 
crab, perennial paspalum (one of the best), an- 
nual or drop-seed paspalum, that comes up in 



June and remains green until frost, the brown 
grass, Japan clover, native red top foxtail, and 
many others that fill in the season. 

Facilities for shipping are unequaled. Systems 
of railroads and rivers penetrate to all important 
inland and seaport cities. Ice can be stored in 
winter, and the winters that are too mild it can 
be procured in the city of Rome at very low 
rates for factory purposes. 

The popular breeds of dairy cows are : Jerseys 
and their grades, Ayershires and their grades. 
These breeds combine all that is necessary for 
butter and cheese. As to healthfulness of dairy 
cows, we could not ask more. Tuberculosis, thai 
dread disease, is unknown. Taking everything 
into consideration, geographically, topographi- 
cally, temperature, fertility of soil, abundance of 



15 



pure water, unequaled facilities for shipjiing, 
Floyd county is indeed blessed as are few spots 
on this carlli, and is surely the "Banner County 
of the Enii)ii-e State of the South." 



Jfruit Culture. 



'i'he great abundance and variety of wild fruits 
growing spontaneously and profusely in our for- 
ests, fields and roadsides, demonstrate the natu- 
ral advantages of our coiuity to fruit raising. 
\VitliiH our bdiuids can lie found locations where 
can be grown successfully every variety of decid- 
uous fruits indigenous to the temperate zone. 
The uinisual size, high coloring and delicious 
flavor has given the fruits of our section a great 



reputation in the markets, and has demonstrated 
to the \\()rld our superior advantages for fruit 
growing. The fi'uits grown on the ridges or ele- 
vated table lands of our section have been pro- 
nounced by the highest authorities to be the 
most beautiful and highly-colored specimens they 
have ever seen. One reason for the high coloring 
of our fruits is the presence of iron in the soil. 
This series of table lands also enjoy an immu- 
nity from spiing frosts, and peaches and all other 
fruits are as sure a crop as anywhere in our 
country. There are splendid openings for com- 
mercial fruit growing for the production of ap- 
ples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes and small 
fruits. For early apples we have the markets of 
the North and West. For later apples we have 



16 



the holiday and winter trade in all the cities 
south of us, in the gulf region, where apples can 
not be successfully grown. Our early peaches 
come into market long in advance of the North- 
ern fruits, and always bring remunerative prices. 
The bulk of our peach crop comes into market 
after the rush from middle Georgia and before 
the Delaware crop, and owing to this fact and 
tlie superior excellence and beauty of our fruit, 
always l)riiigs the liighest prices. 

Then, as regards ti'ansportation, we are much 
nearer tJU' central markets than the great peach 
region of central anil southern Georgia, so that 
we save in time and expense of transportation. 

Any one who will take the pains to investigate 
tile ailaptation of our section to fruit gr )wing in 



all its branches, will be convinced that it is pre- 
eminently suited to the fruit industry. 



TTrucft 3farmincj. 



'I'his is an industry that has sprung up in our 
section in the past few years, and now has as- 
sumed large proportions. Our climate and soil 
are particularly adapted to it. 

We begin to plant in August, sowing onion 
seed, which are transplanted in October, and the 
following spring develop into tine onions, oi' they 
grow neaily all winter. A good many gardeners 
plant out early cabbage in October, and they 
usually stand the wiiiter. Greens of all kinds, 



as well as lettuce, are planted in October. Let- 
tuce can be easily forced, in a cold frame, for 
market by Christmas. Peas are planted in early 
February, also Irish potatoes, and then follows 
the other vegetables in regular succession. Po- 
tatoes planted in February can be dug in June, 
sprouted in a trench and then replanted and 
make a line second crop in September. Sti'aw- 
berries make a fine yield. Planted in August, 
they get a firm root before cold weather, and 
give an abundant yield the following spring. 
One patch of ten acres yielded and shipped 1,850 
crates in a season, all fine fruit. Early cabbage 
mature in May and reach fine heads. Celery can 
be grown witli success, if irrigated. It can be 
raised to reach thirty inches. Heans can be 



raised in succession every month fi-om March to 
October, using the matured seed to replant. 
Our summers are not hot enough to burn up 
* vegetation, and our rains ai-e usually copious and 
well distributed thiough the season. 



IRoaCs. 

Floyd county is justly noted for lier good 
roads. We liave the finest macadamized roads 
in tlie .State, leading from the city in all direc- 
tions. 

There are now completed more than seventy- 
six miles of the road, built of hard limestone 
and marble, of easy grade and thoroughly 



18 




STREET SGENE DURING COTTON SEASON. 



(li'iiiiifil. Thesf mads have lieeii huilt liy convict 
labor, :in(l aie l)eiiig added to at the late of one 
mile per month. The average cost per mile is 
*l, 0(1(1. \Viih tliis splendid system of macad- 
amize<l I'oads, travel and transportation to and 
from K'ome lieconie easy and pleasant at all 
seasons of the year. It is the policy of the 
county aiithoi'ities to continue this system of 
load-iiuilding. Tliey fully appieciate the im- 
l)ortance of good roads to a community, and are 
determined to keep Flnyd county in the van of 
progress and fully abreast of the times on this 
important subject. 



Cost ot Xivina. 




In leference to the cost of living it may be 
safely affirmed that the necessities and lu.\uries 
of life are to Ije obtained here at a rate as low, 
and in many cases lower, than in any other sec- 
tion of our country. Almost everything for the 
table is cheap here, for the simple reason that 
the land produces abundantly almost everything 
that can l)e grown in the temperate zone, thus 
enabling the farmer to make the cost of a well 
and variously supplied table very small, and the 
resident of a town or city, by buying judiciously, 
can live as well here and for less money than in 
almost any other locality. 

Owing to the large supplies of lumber and its 



so 



cheapness, and tlie t;iuility with which hiick eaii 
1)6 mamifrtctured, Imildings of all kinds can lie 
constructed cheaply'. 

The mildness of the climate also lessens many 
expenses, snch as large supplies of coal for win- 
ter. The climate [ilavs an important part in the 
expenses for wearing a|)[iarel. The fanner can 
woi'k in his shirt sleeves almost the entire year, 
needing only a coat in the cooler seasons of the 
year. 'I'liere is anotiier feature in the cost of 
living hei-e not genei'ally ]-ecognized, but which 
enters very materially into the question. So far 
as the farmer is concerned, he is not required to 
house his stock for six months of the year. 
Thereby he saves not only the expense of laying 
in fodder, but the labor of taking care of his 



stock during the entire winter months, and in 
addition to this he does not have the expense of 
providing a large and costly barn for the comfort 
of his stock. 



WLb's Besirablc for H^omc Seeftcrs. 



As a place for home seekers there is no spot in 
the country superior to Floyd county. Blest 
with the purest ozone from the wind-swept 
hills, ample springs of clear, cool, health-giving 
water, blue skies and radiant sunshine, it is the 
ideal home place of the sunny South. 

Those in search of picturesque home sites 
have a varied abundance from which to choose — 
hill and dale, mountain slope and river side, wood 



31 



and field — all spread nut like a paiioraiiui, invit- 
ing the home seeker to stay his wanderings and 
find rest and repose. 

The climate is such that tlie home may l)e 
surrounded by an endless variety of shrnlis and 
flowers, there being only a few weeks in the year 
when flowers are not lilooniing in tiie open air. 
The temperate winds and regular rainfall insure 
the growth of ornamental trees, vines and shrub- 
bery. 

In the matter of convenience to schools and 
churches, the county offers the strongest induce- 
ments, there being located at short intervals 
throughout the length and breadth of the county 



commodious houses and well-conducted schools 
and churches with large congregations. 

The public roads of the county render inter- 
course among neighbors an easy and agreeable 
matter, and the journey to the marl^et town or 
tlie railway station is rendered a delight instead 
of a dread. 

The warm-hearted generosity, intelligence, 
morality and open-handed hospitality add the 
crowning attraction to Floyd as a place for those 
in search of homes surrounded by home com- 
forts, and in these particulars this grand old 
community stands unchallenged. 



sa 




SCENE AT ROME OIL MILL. 



IROtllC. Othei' lands may boast tlieir Iroiiliies, 

Vai/udus vaj^aries of art. 

Kiianleil by tliy mighty mountains, Nature needs no straining stroj.lies 

.Softly tor.ed by suii and shade. To reveal tliy golden liearl : 

Watered by thy tlnwing lounlains \,i,l j,„|,.ljl,ly recnrrled 

Flashiii!. Iliroiigli each glen and glade, i,, eacli love-illumiiu.l lomr, 

I'wined amid tliy winding rivers. ].-,e^. f,.o,„ e^.y,.y instinct sordid 

Mirroicd ill tlieir sliiiiing foam. Shii es thy story, radiant Honie! 
Where thy g!o%viiig splendor ijiiivers. 

Star.dest tlioii, imiierial Rome! 



Fertile fields and fiimzy fallows, 
lireezy banks whtre violets blow. 

Fragrant Hags anil mrsky mallows 
Framed i;i drowsy drejis below. 

Pi ai-e ai.d jilenty reign around thee, 

I )n tliy liliMiin embroidered slopes, i. . . -u i i 

^ I'ntenl jnogress gilds each dome 



I'irtnred iiliins and verihiiH xalkys 

Flnshrd with glorious, harvest hope 
lilitbe till' balmv breeze that dallies 



Opulent with promise s|iringing 
From tlie freshly-furrowed loam. 

.Inbilaiit the joy bells ringing 
On thy hills, resplendent liomel 



Wbeie fliy stihvart sons have crowned thee 
liealined in lirhes. regal Rome! 



24 



Tlicrr may each wayfaring straii<;er, 

Free as falls the suininer dew, 
MeiKued by no dread or dangei', 

Find a welcome warm and true: 
Frio to share in all thy treasures 

And to find in thee a home, 
Peace pursue and plenteous pleasui'es 

In thy precincts, prosperous Romel 

Sriirdy sons and star-eyed daughters 

Blend their songs of hope and joy, 
Sweet as sound of falling waters 

liusied with each sweet employ: 
Sliiulowy woodlands, liistory-haiinted. 

Where each fancied nymph and gnome 
Lon'^T thy varied ch;irms have vaunted. 

IJomc. inromparalih' l.'ome! 



Ube CiU: ot IRome. 



Rome is the capital of Floyd county, and tlie 
principal city of t^herokee Geoigia. It is the 
coninierciiil center nf the most attractive and 
progressive section of the industrial .South. It 
has a population of 15,0(io souls, and is ste;i(lily 
increasing in wealth, numbers and commercial 
importance. 

The location of liome is ideal. Nature in- 
tended that a great city should rest on the 
foundations where Home sits. The sf)il, climate, 
minerals, limliers, water and drainage furnished 
by nature for the situation of itorae, give it ad- 
vantages that few cities of the United vStates 
possess. 



25 



The rivers ot Rome add much to its beauty 
and commercial importance. The winding Eto- 
wah comes gliding in from the southeast, through 
fertile valleys and undulating fields, to meet, at 
the very base of Rome, the rippling Oostanaula, 
that flows in from the northeast through tangled 
forests and sloping grass lands; and these two, 
mingling their waters, make the magnificent 
Coosa, that moves majestically away to the 
southwest, carrying on its bosom much of tlie 
commerce of tliis splendid section, and finding 
its way, through the Alabama, to the Gulf. 

On the many picturesque bills that rise and 
find their way to the water's edge, at the point 
where the Etowah and Oostanaula unite, modern 
Rome sits enthroned, compact and beautiful. 



progressive and full of energy, gaining surely 
and steadily every year in population and com- 
mercial importance. 

As the lines of progress have developed, the 
peninsula between the rivers has overflowed with 
people, and the tide of population has swept 
across these w-aters, until now, on their opposite 
banks, but all connected to the city by splendid 
iron bridges, are the populous siaburbs of East 
liome. South Rome (now the Fifth wai'd), and 
West Home, all natural feeders to the city and 
adding constantly to its trade and growth. 

lioine is the geographical center of the indus- 
trial Soutli. Take a railroad map of the South, 
and place one end of a compass on Rome as a 
center and the other upon Birmingham, sweep 



aa 



the magic circle, and you have almost the full 
tervitovy of the new industrial South ; that sec- 
tion whose magical development, matchless re- 
sources and splendid prospects have excited, 
within the past decade, the attention and ad- 
miration of the world. 

Within this charmed and charming circle clus- 
ter the splendid cities of Knoxville, Cleveland, 
Chattanooga, Dalton, Gadsden, Birmingham, 
Selma, Anniston, Macon and Atlanta, and many 
other growing and aggressive towns, with match- 
less and unmeasured agricultural and mineral 
riches and possibilities in every clambering hill 
and smiling valley in the country that surrounds 
them. 

Of all this splendid region, Rome is the nat- 



ural and commercial center, and is in quick and 
easy touch with every point by rail or river. 
Whatever of wealth lies in the soil and air and 
water of these surroundings and tributaries, 
nmst necessarily be found in richer quality and 
greater abundance near this central heart, Rome. 
And that this is true is attested by indisputable 
proofs and by the confession of them all. The 
blue ribbon of superiority has been so freely and 
so frequently awarded to Rome's own county of 
Floyd, when in competition with other counties 
of the State, that further proof or argument is 
but needless waste of time. A volume might 
not say more. 

It only remains to say that the splendid city of 
Rome is worthy of such a location and such sur- 



27 



loundings. She is rising to her full stature to 
meet and embrace the oppoi-tunities that confront 
her. She is moving with steady and unfaltering- 
step to the greater prosperity of the near future. 
Her foundations for success are as sure as the 
iiills about her and (in which slie so firmly sits. 
Iler jieople are intelligent, progressive and patri- 
otic; hei- climate is unitnrni, temperate and de- 
lightful; her society is cultured, refined and hos- 
pitable; her health is well-nigh perfect, her 
schools are the best, and her churches ciown 
almost every hill. 

'J'he honest home seeker can find no better 
land than this. It is such a place as Moses de- 
scribed to the hesitating Israelites in the wilder- 
ness, when they were pining for the melons and 



flesh pots of Egypt: "A good land; a land of 
brooks, of waters, of fountains and <leptbs that 
spring out of valleys and hills: a land nf wheat 
and barley and vines and fig trees and p(iiiu_'graii- 
ates; a land of oil olive and honey: a land of 
coin, and wine and oil, that drinketh water of 
the rain of heaven; a land which <;od caret li 
for and sendeth the rain in his season; a land 
wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; 
a land whose stones are iron and out of whose 
hills thou mayest dig brass." 

Already the tide is setting this way. Already 
the South is feeling the thi-obbings of a ]]e^\' life. 
Already enterprising ca[>ital from the East has 
found us out, and tlie splendid jilant of the Mas- 
sachusetts Cotton -Mills is rearing its walls in 



28 



sight of Rome. Our hills beckon and our valleys 
smile a welcome. The sunshine falls cheerily on 
abundant harvests and the over-arching skies 
give blessing and benediction. The message we 
send out to the home seeker is, " Ccmie, and we 
will do you good!" 



IRome's mUbolcsale anC IRctail /iDarftets. 

Rome, the commercial center of Northwest 
Georgia, ranks among cities of twice her size 
as a wholesale market. TJiere are a number of 
reasons why this should lie, and it is not strange 
that we rank so hiah in the world of trade. Geo- 



graphically situated in the center of as magnifi- 
cent an agricultural center as exists, Wome has 
for years been the marketing place of the prod- 
ucts of the fields. This l)rings in close touch the 
merchants in the smaller towns an mud us, and it 
is but natural that tliey should piefer to do Inisi- 
ness here. .And, on a strictly business basis, they 
find it greatly to their advantage. 

liome has eight shipping outlets, and has as 
low freight rates as any other city, and buying 
and manufacturing goods as cheajily as it can l)e 
done, it has been found that Rome houses can 
compete with tliose of any city. That they do 
this successfully is proven l)y ihe big trade that 
has been built up over North Georgia and into 
Tennessee and Alabama. This is done in all lines 



•29 



of goods, and some specialties mainifactniert here 
find tlieii' way all over the country. 

As a wholesale market in all lines Rome can 
not be excelled. Jobbing houses here buy in as 
large lots as do those of larger cities, and in what 
is known as IJome's territory, have more reason 
and incentive to sell at closer profits than houses 
at a distance. They are better able to do so, as 
it is less expensive for them to reach the trade. 

As a cotton market, Koine lias no rival in all 
this section. F'rom over one hundred nules cot- 
ton is brought here in wagons. The planters 
realize that they get the best market jirice for 
their cotton, and, indeed, for all of their products. 
Then, while our wholesale market is attractinff 



the merchants, as a i-etail market no city is supe- 
rior. Farmers naturally want the highest mar- 
ket price for theii- [)rodncts, lint want the money 
they receive to go as far as possible in purchas- 
ing what they need. IJotli of these advantages 
ai-e found in lionic and in all lines goods are re- 
tailed at prices that cari not be lowered liy the 
merchants of any other market. 

In addition to this, lionie's merchants have a 
well-deserved leputation for hospitality and good 
will. There are no nioie honest or clever mer- 
cliants to lie found tlian those of Home, and it is 
lint natural that their friends and patrons and 
their teiritory should continually increase. 



30 




NEW POST-OFFIGE, ROME, GEORGIA. 



/IDanutactiucs. 



Floyd county presents unusual advantages to 
niaiiufactui-ers, there being several undeveloped 
water powei's in the county. The following list 
of factories in or near Ifome give an idea of the 
development in this line already, and it is well 
known that it is better to locate new enterprises 
where others have finuul conditions favorable 
and profitable: 

J. A. J)ale — Guano factory. 

Bowie it Terhune — Manufactuie stoves, grates, 
hollow-ware, etc. Employ thirty to forty hands. 
Pay-roll ?i!4U0 to StidO per week. t<hip their prod- 
ucts to North Carolina, South Carolina, (Georgia, 
Floriaa, Alabama, llississippi, Louisiana, Texas. 



Electric Power Company. 

Excelsior Nurseries — Employ from forty to 
fifty hands. Have 400 salesmen on the road. 
Trade extends to almost everj' State in the 
United States. 

Foster's Ginnery and Mill — Have four gins, 
with a capacity of thirty bales cotton per day. 

Gailock Packing Company — Manufacture all 
kinds of packing for engines. 'J'heir shipments 
cover the entire South. 

Georgia Cotton Oil Company, liome Mill — 
Manufacture cotton-seed oil meal and hulls, and 
have capacity to crush ninety tons cotton seed 
per day. Employ eighty hands during season. 

J. A. (ieorge Foundry and Machine Work.s — 
Employ from twelve to twenty hands. Do a 



32 



regular foundry and machine shop business. 
Their shipments embrace the following States : 
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennes- 
see, Kentucky and Texas. 

Loeb's Water Mills — Has a capacity of 300 
bushels meal and grits per day. 

Massachusetts Mills, in Georgia — Capital stock 
$600,000, employing 600 operatives. Have 30,- 
000 spindles and 1,036 looms. 

O'Neill Manufacturing Company — Manufacture 
flooring, ceiling, moulding, stairs, mantels, sash, 
doors and blinds, and ship to Virginia, West 
Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama 
and Georgia. Employ sixty to eighty hands 
manufacturing sash, doors, blinds, flooring, 
moulding, stairs, etc. 



Rome Chemical Company — Employ fifty hands. 
Capacity 8,000 to 10,000 tons phosphate and am- 
raoniated guano per season. Ship to Georgia, 
Alabama and Tennessee. 

Rome City Mills — Capacity 400 bushels meal 
per day. Also do custom grinding. 

Rome Compress Company — Have eighty-inch 
cylinder Morse Tyler press. Compress annually 
60,000 to 100,000 bales cotton. 

Rome Cotton Factory — Manufacture cotton 
duck and wrapping twine. Ship to almost every 
State in the Union; also to China, Japan and 
South America. 

Rome Foundry and Machine Works — Man- 
ufacture Davis water wheel, and do a general 
foundry and machine shop business. 



33 



Rome Furniture ISIanufacturing Company- 
Make a specialty of fine oak furniture, both 
plain and quartered oak. Employ 100 hands. 
Ship to every New England State and all South- 
ern States. Pay-roll 8650 per week. 

Rome Ice Company— Have a Boyles machine 
of fifteen -tons capacity. 

Rome Iron Company — Manufacture charcoal 
pig iron and have a capacity of forty-five tons 
per day. Employ fifty hands. 

Rome Rolling Mill Company. 

Rome Steam Tannery — Capacity 15,000 hides 
per year. Employ twenty-five hands. Pay-roll 
$225 per week. Make 600,000 pounds belting 
leather annually, grading with the best in the 
United States. 



Rome Mattress Factory — Capacity twenty- 
five mattresses per day. 

Standard Scale Company — Manufacture plat- 
form, wagon and railroad scales and full line of 
trucks. Shipments to all the Southern States. 

Towers & Sullivan ^Manufacturing Company^ 
Manufacture plows, steel goods and cultivators. 
Employ 125 to 150 hands. Weekly pay-roll 
1500 to 8550. Ship to all the Southern States. 

Towers Excelsior and Ginning Company — Em- 
ploy ten men during ginning season. Capacity 
forty bales per day. 

Wardlaw Mattress Company — Capacity twenty- 
five mattresses per day. 

The following are in Floyd county, outside of 
Rome: John C. Foster, mill and ginnery; S. S. 



34 





ROME STOUE WORKS, BOWIE & TERHUNE, PROPRIETORS.- 



Johnson, mill iind ginnery ; M. A. Wimpee, flour- 
ing mill and ginnery ; G. J. Briant, flouring mill 
and ginnery ; Jones' Mill, flouring mill and gin- 
nery ; Echols' Mill, flouring mill and ginnery ; 
Rounsaville ct Bro., mill and excelsior works ; 
John Iviee, mill and ginnery; Barnett's Mill, 
mill and'gmnery; Barnetl's Lower Mill, mill 
and ginnery; Crayton's Mill, flouring mill and 
ginnery; Chubb's Mill, flouring mill and ginnery ; 
Harper & Carroll, mill and ginnery; J. B. Porter, 
mill and ginnery; H. C. Johnson, mill and gin- 
nery ; Dr. Jeffreys, mill and ginnery; Seaborn 
Wright, mill and ginnery; A. P. Pedmond, mill 
and ginnery ; Alie Redmond, mill and ginnery. 



IRome as a iPoint for /IDanufacturtng. 



The city of Rome has advantages for manu- 
facturing second to no city in the South. When 
we consider its geographical position in the State, 
its transportation facilities, its mild and healthy 
climate, its abundance of raw material, its water 
supply to furnish all kinds of plants what they 
need and require, its good city government, its 
well and kindly disposed population — the whites 
largely predominating — we may say that we are 
justified in declaring that Rome's advantages and 
facilities for manufacturing all the great staple 
products, as well as for the location of the 
smaller industries, are unsurpassed. 

The city of Rome is situated in Floyd county. 



36 




$OUTHERN FERTILIZER COMPANY'S WORKS. ROME, GEORGIA. 



Georgia, between the Oostanaula and Etowah, 
and at the confluence of these rivers, seventy 
miles soiitli of Chattanooga, sixty miles north- 
west of x\thvnta, and sixty miles north of Annis- 
ton, Alabama, in the northwestern part of the 
State, twenty miles from the Alabiinia line, and 
at the head of navigation on tlie Coosa river. 

Tliis river is navigable for one hundred and 
eighty miles, down to (Jreenspoit in Alabama, 
and the work of opening it to navigation is 
nearly completed to tiie Ten Island shoals, and 
will ultimately be entirely completed by the 
United States government to Wetum[)ka, Ala- 
l)ama. This will open this stream from Kometo 
Mobile for the passage of steamers. The Coosa 
has lieen navigable since the settlement of the 



country by a regular line of boats as far as 
Greensport, running as regularly the year around 
as on any river in the South, bringing to Uome 
the productions of the Coosa valley, consisting 
of lumber, iron, grain, cotton and all ]n'0(Uictions 
of the Coosa valley. 

'I'he Odstanaula is navigal)le one hundred and 
twenty miles, as far as Carter's landing in Whit- 
held county. 'I'he lioats on this river also bi'ing 
to Home all the staple productions of the Oos- 
tanaula valley. Also large quantities of wabuU, 
poplai' and oak lumber. 

In the way of railroa-l trans[iortation. there 
are eight lines entering and passing through 
liome. The Xasliville, Chattanooga and St. 
Ltaiis Comes in from Kingston on the east by 



38 



■*sw^ 




k\eCv^Aii^-<<e£i- 



ROME BRICK WORKS. 



the old lioine Kailn.art route, giving a connection 
to Atlanta on the south by the Western and At- 
lantic, and by the same to Chattanooga on the 
north. The Southern Railroad comes through 
Rome, giving a connection on the north to Chat- 
tanooga and all points in the northwest, to East 
Tennessee and all points noitheast, embracing 
New York, Philadelphia and Washington City. 

The Southern Railroad divides at Rome, the 
Georgia division going to Atlanta, Macon, Bruns- 
wick and Savannah and all points in Florida. 
The Alabama division beginning at Rome con- 
nects with lines at Anniston to Montgomery and 
Mobile, and direct on to Selma, i\Ieridian, ^'ieks- 
burg. New Orleans and all jxiints south and west. 

The Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus con- 



nects with the Central of Georgia, giving direct 
communication with Savannah and all points 
south and to Florida. It (the Chattanooga, 
Rome and Columbus) passes through Rome 
north to Chattanooga, there connecting with all 
the lines entering from the north and northwest. 

The Rome and Decatur (Alabama), now ope- 
rated by the Southern Railroad, comes up the 
valley of the Coosa from Attalla and Gadsden, 
Alabama, bringing all the raw material and 
products of the country from the north side of 
the Coosa valley. 

On the west side of the city the Rome and 
Decatur and Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus 
are parallel for three or four miles. 

The Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus and 



40 




ROME IRON FURNACE. 



the (ieo)gia and iMabiiina divisions of the South- 
ern are also parallel fur the same distance. On 
the south side, the old Itonie Railroad and the 
Southern are parallel for two miles. This paral- 
lel, detailed as to these different lines, gives very 
superior advantages in the location of manufac- 
turing plants for the securing of convenient 
transportation and the benefits of competition in 
freight rates. 

It will he seen that such a statement of trans- 
portation advantages is almost unequaled by any 
one place in the country. 

Our climate is mild, healthy and salubi'ious. 
No loss of time need be had on account of ex- 
cessive heat fir ccld. 

The wiiter can state that Rome is unsurpassed 



in the healthfulness of its situation. After a res- 
idence of nearly forty years, he is able to give 
the strongest testimony to the truth of this 
statement. 

In raw material subject to manufacture we 
have, first, cotton, receiving at this point from 
eighty to one hundred thousand bales annually, 
grown within a radius of seventy-five miles from 
the city of Rome, much of which is produced 
in the immediate vicinity of Rome, and ginned 
within the city and suburbs. Cotton mills lo- 
cated at this point have the opportunity to buy 
cotton in the seed, and where they are engaged 
in the production of fine fabrics, spinning the 
cotton directly from the gin located within the 
mills, thus saving ten or fifteen per cent, in bag- 



42 




STANDARD SCALE WORKS, ROME, GEORGIA. 



ging and ties, on waste cotton, smeared and 
caked. This is very advantageous, and has been 
very profitable to mills located in this vicinity. 

The quality of the cotton produced in Floyd 
and adjoininsi counties is of superior length and 
strength of fiber, coming out of a large boll, 
double the size compared with cotton grown on 
ordinary ujjlauds, owing to the fertility of our 
valleys. 

Liverpool buyers have been known to make 
offeis in advance at the highest price for such 
and such a man's crop, gi'own in the Coosa valley. 
This indicates the value placed upon the staple 
grown in this section by sjjinners abroad. 

Numberless sites are available in the suburbs 
of Rome with the conveniences of transportation 



and water supply for the erection of cotton mills 
with an illimitable number of spindles and looms, 
particularly for the finer fabrics. 

All the mills located in this section have been 
eminently successful and profitable to all who 
have invested in them. Labor is cheap, expenses 
of living as low as anywhere in the United States, 
everything favorable to the health and happiness 
of a manufacturing population. 

We know of no city in the United States which 
can offer better advantages and facilities in the 
manufacture of cotton into all its products than 
Rome and Floyd county. 

In the manufacture of iron and steel we are 
supplied right at our doors with illimitable beds 
of iron ore of several varieties, lean in phosi^ho- 



44 




!'.. S'fi!?** 



tS,^:. ji ) 



^>i 



^■'" " "^5(f*^T*;->:''.V''?o;'>'-'-'.-^-> 



.M 



#■■' 
■^^"T^^^'- 



"r"*" -,7« 








.-J^fekv 




* Liia^'^ 



CTtatr:>".tM#Mt 



.«W^# 



SHORTER COLLEGE, ROME, GEORGIA. 



rons, limestone close l)y and along side of the 
ore for fluxing, charcoal furnished in almndance 
at five and three-fourth cents per bushel, deliv- 
ered, for making car- wheel and fine soft bar iron. 
One large furnace in the suburbs of Rome is in 
operation, and never stopped during the panic. 
A number of other furnaces have been in opera- 
tion off and on for years in our immediate vicin- 
ity, so that the very best quality of \ng iron is 
sold in Rome for any purpose as cheap as any- 
where in the United States. For the use of large 
plants in the manufacture of cotton, iron, steel, 
or for use in any other industry, coal for steam 
can be and is laid down in Rome at from $1.50 
to $1.80 per ton; so we are all right, and down 
with the lowest on cheap fuel. 



We have an abundance of all kinds of lumber. 
Pine from -^o to §10 per thousand and oak from 
*7 to $12. 

Oui- furniture factories and i)laning mills are 
all doing a fine business. There is no better 
point for car building than can be found hei-e 
with us. Ij.iuxite is found in great quantities in 
Floyd, Polk and Bartow counties — more in these 
thi-ee counties than any section in the United 
States. This is the place of all others for the 
manufacture, cheaply, of the new metal alum- 
inum, alumiiuim steel and the salts of alumina. 
Too nuieh can not be said of this growing indus- 
try, and the profit to our farmers at their leisure 
time in mining the bauxite and shipping it to 
distant points. Marble is found in quantities all 



46 



over the county of beautiful variegated varieties, 
as has been proven at our State fairs in the past. 

A splendid system of water works, supplied 
by water pumped from the Oostanaula to the 
reservoir on the top of Fort Jackson hill gives 
an abundant supply for all purposes for several 
miles around. This is one of Rome's boasted 
advantages, particularly in connection with her 
splendid fire department. 

A fertile soil, cheap living, tine public schools, 
a kindly disposed, generous, hospitable and easy- 
to-get-along-wilh people, all combine to make 
Ivome and its vicinity unsurpassed for the loca- 
tion of the plants and manufactories of small 
industries too numerous to mention. 

The Etowali river, which unites at Rome with 



the Oostanaula, forming the Coosa, furnishes im- 
mense water power, which can be cheaply util- 
ized, there being plenty of cheap available ma- 
terial for construction. This stream can also be 
relied upon for constancy of supply throughout 
the year. There are several shoals within a few 
miles of liome, beginning in the incorporate 
limits of the city, from which a selection could 
be made. A thoroughly competent and reliable 
engineer estimates that on any of these shoals, 
a dam of fifteen feet at lowest water would 
afford 2,400 horse power, offering extra induce- 
ments for any one desiring to invest in anything 
of this kind. 

Scores of ideal sites for manufacturing enter- 
prises of every kind can be found along the val- 



47 



ley of Silver Creek, adjacent to the city. On it 
is already located two flouring mills, an iron 
furnace, chemical works, steam tannery, and the 
Massachusetts Cotton Mills, in Georgia. This 
region is destined, ere long, to be a manufactur- 
ing center. 

A fairer land the sun never shone upon. 

With all these God-given blessings and ad- 
vantages, we invite any and all who wish to find 
a living and a home to come hither and see for 
themselves the proof of these statements. 



jflovJ? CEountg Schools. 



There are 10,000 children in Floyd county be- 
tween the ages of six and eighteen years. Of 



this number 8,000 attended school during the 
year 1894. The city of Rome has a system of 
nine months' tuition, and employs an able and 
efficient superintendent and about twenty-five 
teachers that are up to date in the improved 
methods of the best city schools of the country. 
The county also has an experienced superintend- 
ent, about one hundred and twenty-five schools 
and one hundred and fifty teachers, and a system 
of five months' tuition. There has been a de- 
cided improvement in the county system during 
the last five years, and the present policy is to 
establish graded schools wherever the population 
in any sub-district will justify it. 

There are also three chartered institutions in 
the county: Shorter College, \\itli liuildings and 



48 




TOWERS X SULLIUAN PLOW FACTORY, ROME, GEORGIA. 



endowment of 1:150,000; ITeani Institute, with 
endowment and property of $30,000, and Everett 
Springs Seminary, with good Imildiiio-s and no 
endowment. 



(Iburcbcs. 



Rome may be aptly called the "City of 
Churches." There are sixteen cluueh organ- 
izations, white and colored, nearly all of which 
own houses of worship A nninlicr of the 
churches are exceptionally fine sirnctnres. The 
statement has been made that fifty per cent, of 
the population are memliers of the churches. 
The societies represented are the .Methodist, 



Kaptist, Presbyterian, Epi&copal, Roman Catholic 
and Jewish. They have large, appreciative con- 
gregations, flourishing Sunday-schools, various 
missionary societies, and all the aids of religious 
development, making Rome a desirable place for 
residence in this respect. Pastors of ability iire 
employed, and the large church attendance is 
evidence of the nmrality and ujiright character 
of the citizens. 



IPublic Xiobtinti Svstciu. 



A gas company for many years has been sup- 
plying the city with light. Its pipes permeate 
every section of I tome's wide area, and a cheap 



and excellent system of illumination is furnished 
its patrons. 

More recently the Electric l^ight Company has 
aided in the matter of furnishing light to Rome. 
With modern patents, skillful experts and me- 
chanics, this company contributes largely and very 
satisfactorily towards turning night into day. 



Street IRailwas. 



Among the many claims of substantial progress 
to be found in liome, nothing affords Romans 
more opportunity for city pride than the elegant 
electric street car system. It penetrates the city 
to the suburbs with four branches extending 



along the cardinal points of the compass. Ele- 
gant cars, polite oflBcials, quick schedules and a 
successful business management of its interests 
make it a matter of pride to citizens of the town. 



l^oimo /IDen's Xibrar? Hssociation. 



The Young Men's Library Association was or- 
ganized in 1879. It has a membership of about 
•200. There are 4,700 books in the library, in- 
cluding the standard works of fiction, history, 
travel, biography, etc., besides many valuable 
books of reference. The beautiful rooms of the 
association are adorned with maps and pictures, 
and the library is a useful factor in Rome's liter- 
ary and educational growth. 



51 



Secret Societies. 



The various I'laternal and beneficiary orders 
are well represented in Rome. Among the most 
prominent are the following : 

Cherokee Lodge, No. 66, F. and A. M., with 
218 members. 

Oostanaula Lodge, No. 113, F. and A. M,, with 
82 members. 

rtome Chapter, No. 2(i, IL A. M., with 100 
members. 

L'ome Council, R. and S. M., with 40 members. 

Rome Commandery, No. S, K. T., with 75 
members. 

There are two lodges of Knights of Pythias — 



Riverside and Mount Alto — with a membership 
of over 150. 

Rome Lodge, No. 10, L O. <). F., has a mem- 
bership of about 100. 

Hill City Council, l{oyal Arcanum, has 220 
members. 

Rome Council, National Union, has 80 mem- 
bers. 

Live Oak Camp, Woodmen of the World, has 
over 100 members. 

There are councils and lodges of Knights of 
Honor, Legion of Honor, National Fraternity, 
Proi^ressive Endowment <Tuild, and others, num- 
bering in the aggregate several hundred mem- 
bers. 



52 



KanWng facilities. 



Two national banks afford the people of the 
county good banking facilities. The First Na- 
tional, with a large capital, has been in operation 
for many years. The Merchants National, though 
younger, is managed by a board of directors who 
are among the ablest and most prominent busi- 
ness men in the county, and it also has a large 
capital. 



flewspapers. 



The city of Kouie is well supplied with news- 
papers. Of the dailies The Tribune is the morn- 
ing and The Hustler the evening paper. Each 



of these publish a weekly, and each has a large 
circulation in North Georgia. The other weekly 
papers are The Southern Argus, l^he Piedmont 
Farmer and The Rome Georgian. The Masonic 
Herald is published monthly. 



(lave Spriiuj. 



Of the different towns and localities in Floyd 
county that are deserving of special notice, we 
have only space to refer in a very short notice to 
Cave Spring, a town of over one thousand inhab- 
itants, located in the southwestern part of the 
county, on the line of the Alabama division of 
the Southern Railroad, sixteen miles from Rome. 



53 



This town is situated in Vans Valley, one of the 
most heuutiiul and fertile valleys in North Geor- 
gia. In the side of a well-wooded hill in the 
southeastern side of the village is a large Hme- 
stone cave, and bursting forth from the foot of 
this hill is a gurgling spring of beautiful, clear, 
mild limestone water, from which the town de- 
rives its name, Cave Spring. This spring fur- 
nishes several thousand gallons of water per 
minute, of a uniform temperature of 62 degrees. 
Cave Sprhig, with its surroundings, is one of the 
most picturesque and pleasant spots in the world. 
In natural attractiveness it is almost without a 
peer, and some day grand hotels, bath houses, 
fountains and parks will ara\^• to this spot thou- 
sands of guests. 



Cave Spring is especially noted for its educa- 
tional advantages, as here are located Hearn In- 
stitute, Hearn Female Seminary, and Wesleyan 
Institute, all of which are well equiped schools, 
under the control of highly educated, cultured 
teachers, conducted after the most approved 
methods, and enjoying an enviable position among 
the formost schools of the state. Here is also 
located the Georgia Institute for the Deaf and 
Dumb, which is a model institution of its class, 
and is the peer of any similar institution in the 
country. 

The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Epis- 
copalians, all have good congregations, commo- 
dious houses of worship, and are well attended. 
They all have flourishing Sunday-schools. 



54 



The valley in which Cave Spring is situated is 
noted lor its fertility, yielding immense crops of 
clover, grass, corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, cotton, 
vegetables, etc. The hills around the town are 
also especially adapted for fruit growing. 

In the immediate vicinity of Cave Spring on 
Big Cedar Creek, numerous never-failing water 
powers can be had, yielding from 75 to 300 liorse 
power each. Very little ilifference being precept- 
ible in the winter and summer flow of this stream. 
All of these powers can be utilized at a compara- 
tively small cost for manufacturing purposes. 
In this locality there is also an abundance of 
fine timber — different varieties of oak, hickory, 
pine, ask, poplar and other woods. There is also 
in this locality a vast amount of mineral wealth, 



cjuantities of iron, manganese and kaolin, all of 
fine quality and higli grade. The iron ores are 
being shipped daily to different parts of our coun- 
try. Manganese ores have been shipped to Pitts- 
burg, Pa., New York, and Liverpool, England. 
They are the finest to be seen in North Georgia, 
and of this valuable ore there are vast deposits. 
There ai-e also vast de^iosits of marble, princi- 
pally of the black, black and white variegated, 
and red varieties, and also lithographic stone of 
fine quality. Fortunes are awaiting the men who 
have tlie means to develop this splendid section. 
"To those who desire to live where the temper- 
ature has reached loo only twice, and zero only 
three times in forty years ; breathing the pure 
air wafted fnim the mountain tops, drinking the 



55 



sparkling waters flowing- from luindreds of 
springs at their feet ; surrounded by unsurpassed 
school and church facilities, and at the same time 
enjoy generous returns fiom labor expended in 
factories, in mines, upon farms, orchards, and 
vineyards, Cave Spring extends an invitation, 
and promises a hearty welcome." 

If you have any thought of changing your loca- 
tion, or bettering your location, we invite you to 
visit Floyd County, and investigate for yoniself, 
believing that you will agree with us that like a 
poem, spreads out our fair land, with its forest 
crowned hills, protecting fertile valleys, through 



which wind crystal brooks, the offspring of clear 
limped springs gushing from the rocks; our air 
laden with ozone, our skies blue, and more cloud- 
less than those of other lands_ here you feel it a 
joy to live. 

The prolific jiower of oui' cereal and textile pro- 
ducticn, the cattle upon our thousand hills, our 
wonderful mineral resources, and a thousand 
other wealth producing elements under the crea- 
tive energies of American civilization, are the 
mighty forces which stand as sponsors for our 
fulure growth and greatness. 







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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 416 469 6 



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